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[GAME ON] Dark Souls/Demon's Souls! This is the old thread. STOP POSTING HERE

Who gives a fuck about Demon's Souls anymore?? Dark Souls was announced!

I know everyone is going to be excited to talk about this game, but please don't spoil it for others. Please use the spoiler tags and please label your spoilers with something appropriate so people will have an idea of what they are about to see.

Woah, what? What the hell is Dark Souls?

Dark Souls is the "sequel" to Demon's Souls. I put sequel in quotes because it's not a true sequel that takes place in the same world with the same characters, etc., shit that a sequel normally has, but it's the same vein of Demon's Souls in that it's a dark, medieval world, hard as fuck, and just as awesome. Japanese gaming rag Famitsu had an article about it.

- This is the official title of what was previously Project Dark
- This time they want to increase the amount of field exploration in the game.
- All fields are seamless, so whatever you can see, you can reach and explore. If you see a fortress or castle walls in the distance, you can eventually get there.
- There will be no map display in the game, just a position display marker.
- They aim to make the game just as challenging than Demon's Souls, but also just as rewarding when you succeed. The sense of achievement is important.
- The gameplay will be similar to Demon's Souls in concept, where it's about trial and error and learning from your mistakes to play better.
- The game does not share the same world and story as Demon's Souls.
- The game will not use the same format as Demon's Souls in terms of having 5 worlds connected via a hub.
- Instead all maps in the game will be linked seamlessly in a connected world. The pace of the game will feel more about exploration and discovering locations, which you can then go inside into a dungeon or whatever and explore the interior further.
- There will be more complex level designs in the game using more vertical design in areas and such.
- The world setting is based on medieval dark fantasy, and will contain themes like "high fantasy of kings and knights", "death and the depths of the earth", and "the flames of chaos".
- The character creation process will not be class based.
- The play style of the player character will have much more freedom this time.
- There will be many more spells and items, and the animation and uniqueness of weapons will also be increased.
- The online elements are very similar to Demon's Souls. There is cooperative and PvP.
- You can still leave messages, and see players who died at various places.
- There will be no Soul Tendency this time because they don't want to have to use dedicated servers to handle that shit again.
- Instead this time there will be more features allowing players to engage in "mutual role playing" which they say are still under wraps. They'll reveal more when it's time.
- The difficulty has been increased greatly over Demon's Souls.

Posts

Demon's Souls is a recent PS3 exclusive title from developer From Software, already known for the Armored Core series, Chromehounds, the Tenchu series and Ninja Blade. Demon's Souls is a third person action game in the vein of From Software's old, old franchise King's Field. King's Field was know to be ludicriously hard and huge learning curve. Demon's Souls keeps that tradition pretty damn well.

So what's the big deal with this RPG that put's it above the others?

Demon's Souls "ain't yo mamma's RPG". It certainly takes keys from a lot of other well know games before it, like King's Field (naturally), Monster Hunter, and we'll throw in one you know like TESIV: Oblivion. It's not just another JRPG that is turned based, has that same menu in every JRPG ever made. For a gaming coming from Japan, it's distinctly Western. It has a very dark European background, full voice acting and some of the best environments that can be found in a game today.

Equipment comes in all kinds of forms, from long swords to katanas to a Pyramid Head-esque meat cleaver. Enemies range from zombies to dark knights to dragons. Bosses? Gigantic and intimidating. Giants mechanical knights, fire breating spiders (yes, you just read that), a veritable God. Pretty much every imaginable baddie is out for your ass in this game.

Did I mention how this game is hard? This game is hard. Like, fucking hard. I cannot emphasis the difficulty of this game. Now, it's not what I like to call "Ninja Gaiden Hard", where the game is difficult to the point of hindering the player (*coughfuckingterribadcameracough*). It is such a well crafted difficulty to the point where the game is never cheap. Your death is always your own fault. And you will die. And there are heavy consequences for that death.

There is no long and arduous tutorial. No quick time events. No button mashing. No pop-up hints. You will get mobbed by monsters. You will fight bosses that could very well kill you in one hit. You'll fall of ledges because you didn't watch where you were stepping. There isn't even a pause button! You'll fight tooth and nail to get past each and every level. But God damn it, does it feel rewarding once you do.

Ok, you've got me now. This game have a story?

While the story in Demon's Souls is simple, the world that is created around it is very interesting. It takes place in the fictional European-inspired kingdom of Boletaria, where a corrupt king summons "the Old One" and uses unholy powers to bring unrivaled prosperity to his lands. Prosper it did, but then fell victim to his own vices and traps and abused his power to cause great destruction, causing a great fog to cover the country and summon countless demons to devour the innocent. This is where you come in! You are a lone adventurer who quests into the depths of Boletaria to put a stop to the fog and bring peace to the land, not even death itself can stop your pursuit!

That's it. You play the part of a random adventurer out to find your fame. No girl to save, no friend who betrayed you. Just you, the legions of hell, and victory on the other side of them.

So how does it play?

Demon's Souls plays in real time from the third person perspective. You name and design your character yourself and use a system similar to Oblivion's face creation to get your look. There is a vast amount of weapons and armour and two kinds of magic: Spells (mostly offensive attacks) and Miracles (mostly defensive and healing abilities). And you need to take into account your environment. Yeah, you have an huge sword that smacks monsters around, but will it really be of any use in a narrow hallway?

Bring aware of your surroundings is key. Every new enemy you come upon will act differently. The most important piece of advice is move slowly, attack carefully. If you just waltz around playing like it's Ninja Gaiden, your liable to fall off a cliff or become stunlocked by an enemies attacks.

You have your tipical Health and Magic, but Demon's Souls also takes hint from The Elder Scroll's and implements and Stamina system for sword attacks and blocking with shields. Every action takes away a certain amount of Stamina, but it's always regenerating. The heavier the attack, the more Stamina you will use. The more hits you take behind your shield, the more Stamina will be drained.

Demon's Souls has over a dozen starting "classes", but in actuality it is a classless game. All equipment is dependent on your character stats, so even if you start as a cloth wearing Royal, you can still pick up and use the same heavy armor the Knight has if you have the right statistics. There are certain advantages and challenges from picking each starting class tho. As a Royal, you are well equipped to use magic but don't have a lot of armor or health. As a Thief, you can backstab easier because of your dagger. As a Knight, you have heavy armor and are well equipped for melee combat but roll slowly and have no magic. It is a very well set system.

Leveling up is done by the games only currency, Souls. Souls are everything. They will get you higher stats, buy you equipment, potions, increase the effectiveness of your gear, are needed to craft new weapons. If you die, you lose all your Souls, and this is one fact that makes Demon's Souls so punishing. Now, you do have one chance to get them all back from a bloodstain you leave behind in your death, but if you die before you touch that bloodstain, all those Souls are lost.

The entire game is based around deep, complex dungeons that take ages to fully explore. Your only refuge from the monsters is the "Nexus" which is the hub or "town" of Demon's Souls. Here you can talk to the locals, level up, learn new magic spells, repair or buy new items and equipment, and store your unwanted junk. Don't think though you've got it all down, New Game+ provides even more to see at the Nexus!

Oh yeah, there is a New Game+. Playing in New Game+ raises the difficulty even more! It's a whole new ballgame when you enter your second time around. But it doesn't end after that. You can start a New Game++, and keep going. Every new game raises the difficulty more.

Is there multiplayer?

Oh yeah! Demon's Souls has some of the coolest and original multiplayer interaction ever.

Co-Operative
Players can utilize a special item called the "Blue Eye Stone" to set a marker on the ground that acts as a gateway to a multiplayer Co-Operative game. There's no lobby or matchmaking system. Other players online can see your marker and invite you into their world, and soon enough you and two other adventurers will be on your way to slaying some monsters.

All three players can receive Souls for their hard work, and they can team up to take out the Boss Demons with better efficiency! As your game together ends, players can grade the host adventure on a scale from D to S and this grade carries with the Host so other players know how good or bad a player they are.

Competitive
Don't like playing nice? With the use of the "Black Eye Stone," players with evil intent can literally force themselves into another player's world! Taking the role of the "Black Phantom," the player must hunt out and kill the invaded player to receive a special Souls bonus! However, if the invading Phantom is killed then you lose all your Souls and he gets a big reward for killing you.

If you want to join someone in co-op or kill someone by invading, you will only have access to those within 10 levels of you. No picking on newbies, and no getting sent to fight someone much higher than yourself.

Educational
Uh...what? Hang on, let me explain this one. Demon's Souls offers a special method of communicating with other players in other worlds, to help (or deceive) other players about events that may be coming up in around that corner, or across that dark bridge. By utilizing a wide selection of stock messages and phrases, players use a bizarre Twitter-esque system of leaving messages on the floor for others to read. These messages can be read by anyone, and can even be graded on their usefulness! Players who leave helpful or nice messages are rewarded with a full health restore!

The Pantheon
But wait! There's more! Demon's Souls taps into the desires of envy and jealousy by providing its own Leaderboards. Players can visit The Pantheon at the very top of The Nexus to see who the greatest Boletarian adventurers are. Ever wonder who has the most PKs? Who's played the longest? Who's got the most souls or the most Trophies? The Pantheon tells all.

Ok, I want this game. As in right now. How do I get it?

For the longest time you would have to import the Asian version, but not any more! As of October 2009, Atlus has published Demon's Souls here in the US!

Demon's Souls was also released in the EU by Namco-Bandi on June 25, 2010.

All versions have their own online servers. EU cannot play with US, Asian cannot play with EU, etc.

I live off review scores.

Fine. Be like that. Demon's Souls has gotten very positive reviews since it's asian release in January 2009.

Below are several helpful links for those who need specific info regarding the game. Personally, I'm telling you not to use any of these on your first game because it ruins the fun, but if you really have to, go for it.

Demon's Souls Wiki - A comprehensive Demon's Souls wiki, started thanks to the people at SomethingAwful. This is the most comprehensive Demon's Souls resource there it. Maps, weapon, armor, upgrades, character builds...it has it all.Ultimate Demon's Souls PvP Guide - Possibly all you wanted to know about PvP. What weapons to use, what builds to play and how to play them. A very good guide if you want to maximize in PvP.Demon's Souls Ventrilo - This is a Ventrilo chat server maintained by the guys who run the Demon's Souls wiki. People hang out here throughout the day/night/whenever and talk shop. Some of the best DS players are on here and everyone is always up for a friendly duel. Not a lot of microphones, but everyone is usually in chat. Note: Pretty dead now.Demon's Souls Forum - Another product of the great people who maintain the Demon's Souls wiki! If I need to tell you what a forum is about then you have some issues. Note: Still active![/quote]

I haven't been invaded or assisted yet. I'm kind of happy about that. At least for my first run-through, I'd like it to be done mostly on my own steam.

Any advice on the best way to get uchigatanas that work off my magic stat?

Moonlightstone or Darkmoonstone. I prefer Darkmoonstone myself, as it is one of the easiest materials in the game to farm and also gives you mana regen.

Do I just farm a bunch of Darkmoonstone and then take it to Ed? I need to find another uchi too.

Also, I'm still in my starting clothes. Still haven't found someone who sells armor. Is there a good outfit for a magic swordsman somewhere early on, or will I need to press pretty deep into a level to get to that point?

I haven't been invaded or assisted yet. I'm kind of happy about that. At least for my first run-through, I'd like it to be done mostly on my own steam.

Any advice on the best way to get uchigatanas that work off my magic stat?

Moonlightstone or Darkmoonstone. I prefer Darkmoonstone myself, as it is one of the easiest materials in the game to farm and also gives you mana regen.

Do I just farm a bunch of Darkmoonstone and then take it to Ed? I need to find another uchi too.

Also, I'm still in my starting clothes. Still haven't found someone who sells armor. Is there a good outfit for a magic swordsman somewhere early on, or will I need to press pretty deep into a level to get to that point?

Yeah, you can farm up the Darkmoonstone and take it to Ed. You're going to find Darkmoonstone in world 4, you end up with a lot of it if you Reaper farm in 4-2.

As for armor, most of the best armor isn't bought from a vendor.

If you want light armor (what I usually go for): Best male light armor is Ancient King's. You get that off of Old King Doran in 1-1 (though you need the key from Ostrava, you can either kill Ostrava for it or he'll give it to you at the end of 1-4). For females it's Binded armor. You can get that from Miralda in 1-1 as part of the PWWT event.

A good set of light to wear until you can get one of the above sets is Black Leather, which can be looted in 3-1.

With heavy armor things get a little more complicated, as all the best sets (besides Brushwood) are pretty similar but have tradeoffs. It really depends on personal preference.

Killing Ostrava shifts the world towards Black, right? I've rescued him already. So I should try and finish world 1 if I need armor?

Also, I asked this in the last thread and I didn't get a response, I don't think. For demon's souls like Vanguard, where the equipment I get from giving to Ed is something I won't ever use, should I just consume it for the measly souls? Or should I get the equipment regardless?

Killing Ostrava shifts the world towards Black, right? I've rescued him already. So I should try and finish world 1 if I need armor?

Also, I asked this in the last thread and I didn't get a response, I don't think. For demon's souls like Vanguard, where the equipment I get from giving to Ed is something I won't ever use, should I just consume it for the measly souls? Or should I get the equipment regardless?

Killing Ostrava will definitely shift your soul tendency, I believe it'll shift the world tendency as well. I usually just wait until 1-4 when he gives it, or I kill him as part of the Mephistopheles quests.

As for the Demon Soul crafted weapons, Dehumanized has the right idea. If you are looking for trophies, craft. If you aren't, then eat'em for souls.

You know, from Tyrant's LP I've been meaning to get back into this game again (especially since I never finished it, I attempted the last boss once, got mauled, and haven't tried again.)

Though I'm not sure I want to bother when the servers are stuck on PWWT for the 'event'. My second character is a Dex/Faith build Meat Cleaver wielder. I can't remember off hand if I've gotten Istarelle yet or not, but I definitely should if I haven't.

For that matter, I can't remember entirely what all I've finished on that character... I know I hadn't finished 1-3 yet. Fairly sure I did all of 2, I *think* I did all of 3 and I know I did all of 5, because I remember fighting the guardian knight guy whose name I don't remember with my Meat Cleaver. Epic fight. 4 I think I finished too... so really I think I just had the rest of world 1 to beat, and something ended up distracting me from the game so I didn't get around to it.

Not sure what world tendancy events I got done either though... I'd have to boot up and see if I have the Talisman of Beasts and such I guess.

PWWT event is a decent time to roll a new character or pick back up an old one. Many of the PWWT events are easy enough for low level characters to complete (though Miralda was a bit rough on my Royal). Then you can just go on playing until you've got it mostly beat and by then the PWWT event will probably be over and you can start work on PB.

Of course, I could just use it to make sure I complete all the PWWT events and then wait to play again until Halloween and do all the PBWT ones! Surely that couldn't backfire!

I actually didn't play last Halloween, so I missed the PBWT event.

Bah, I'm going to have to start up Demon's Souls when I get home tonight and try to get my bearings...

My first character was a Royal who is around SL 100, heavy Magic build, and is the character I attempted to fight the last boss with. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure my main weapon for her is a Crescent, and I didn't know until today that he apparently takes *very* little damage from Magic/Magic Weapons.

I then started a Temple Knight who is my Dex/Faith character that I'd played most recently. I had a very good plan going through the game with him, got the Meat Cleaver as quickly as possible and started smashing fools. Shooting them viciously when necessary. I think my Composite Bow is +4, but I need some more Spiderstone to get it to +5 and was having terrible luck getting it. It might actually have to wait until NG+ for that matter.

I don't remember what shields I was using at all, maybe a Purple Flame and I know I had a DSS... and I haven't attempted the Old King for that armor yet, since I haven't even finished 1-3.

No joke. I have 3 times the storage space of my 360 on my PS3, let me use it however I want without having to switch profiles! If I'm so desperate for space that I need to delete characters, I can do that when I get there.

Mr. Banballow was so badly maimed, he turned into a hideous monster, oozing and bleeding, snarling and growling like a beast---enraged and bent on revenge. He tracked down the kids responsible for the fire and killed them one by one----with a blowtorch. That wasn't enough for Banballow. He won't leave his inn or his memories, so there he waits....in ambush....

On another note, I can find some new images if you want. Two or three to go under each section.

I was going to do this last night but then my computer died a horrible death, and then I spent the evening combating some assholes who were farming Blue Phantoms with Soul Sucker in 4-1.

Man, they did not like it when I showed up with a Kris Blade, Ring of Magical Sharpness, Insanity Catalyst, and Firestorm. They didn't like that at all. Warp in, set off my bomb, and then trigger my white soul stone to warp out. Managed to one shot the red phantom, got my level's worth of souls back plus more.

... They ate, slept and worked. Some of them found uninteresting partners at work who they married and came home to. Sometimes they would half-heartededly thrust into each other and children were made. They lived a middle class existence until their deaths to heart disease and cancer.

Today I was fighting a Black Phantom and spur-of-the-moment I burst into a wind-up for a special attack like something out of an anime. BEHOLD THE LIGHT OF THE LORD, THAT PURGES ALL EVIL! SOOOOOUUUUL RAYYYYY!

... They ate, slept and worked. Some of them found uninteresting partners at work who they married and came home to. Sometimes they would half-heartededly thrust into each other and children were made. They lived a middle class existence until their deaths to heart disease and cancer.

So...after reading the OP and checking this game out, I really want to try it, but I'm also scared of venturing online for fear of being that noob that nobody wants to group with.

Relax. Often pros will just offer up to get a free rez by downing a boss or they're just futzing around collecting souls to work on something. They, they are the cool people. Go in body form and summon away, or go soul form and try your best. I only give D's to people that honestly don't try.

I'm actually finding the Black Phantom invasion fun. Sure, I've gotten owned once or twice, but when a newbie Black shows up it's fun to suprise him buy running for a narrow place, or somewhere hard that he can't easily get too w/out giving me oppertunities to attack. 4-1 and 4-2 are full of these wonderful spots.

It's even more fun if your teaming with someone and a Black shows up. I can't tell you how satifying it was in a 2 man when we had a much higher level black show up and the two of us used tactics and weapon side effects to murder him. And hey, it get your soul tendancy higher!

... They ate, slept and worked. Some of them found uninteresting partners at work who they married and came home to. Sometimes they would half-heartededly thrust into each other and children were made. They lived a middle class existence until their deaths to heart disease and cancer.